Dove Go Sleeveless Anti-Perspirant Review

I had the chance recently to try out Dove's Go Sleeveless antiperspirant courtesy of Chick Advisor's Product Review Club. I'm a big fan of Dove products, especially their gentleness on skin, so I was very excited to receive this product.

The type of Go Sleeveless antiperspirant I received was Beauty Finish, which has a light powder scent. Go Sleeveless promises to give you softer armpits within 3 days. I was dubious of this claim, but it's actually true! My skin was much softer and less susceptible to razor rash. I also found the wetness and odour protection lasted all day, which is quite the feat considering the hot summer we've had!

This is definitely a product I would buy again. I love it's "gentle strength" and the varieties it comes in (Shea Butter,  Soothing Chamomile, Original, Unscented). Another great thing - right now Dove has a coupon for $2 off the purchase of any Dove antiperspirant! Get yours here (while supplies last).

Little Life Box May 2014 Review

This is a bit of a late post, but as you can see from the lack of activity lately, life's been busy and I haven't been on much. I did receive a Little Life Box this month (well, actually 2 with the Mother's Day box), so let's check it out:

I received:

• Camino Organic Fine Chocolates Box (www.lasiembra.com/camino)
• Deep River Snacks Gluten-Free Kettle Chips in Original Salted (www.deepriversnacks.com)
• Go-Go Quinoa Puffed Cereal Choco-Puffs (www.gogoquinoa.com)
• EFFFI Gold Exclusive Skin Emulsion (www.efffi-e.ca)
• Ener-C Vitamin Drink Sachets (www.tryenerc.com)
• Mighty Leaf Organic Tea in Spring Jasmine, Breakfast, and African Nectar (www.mightyleaf.ca)
• Natura Cappucino Soy Drink + coupons (www.nutrisoya.com)
• OneCoffee Organic K-Cups in Sumatran (www.myworldinacup.com)
• Sow Good Face And Body Polish (www.sowgoodbeauty.com)
• Maison Orphée Unrefined Toasted Sesame Oil (www.maisonorphee.com)
• Brad King's Ultimate Calorie Burn (www.transforminghealthinc.com)
• Ecoideas Chlorophyll in Mint (www.ecoideas.ca)

One thing I will mention is that I received the same box for Mother's Day as I did for the regular box, differences being a different flavour of the Deep River Chips and a note in the MD box (ranty note: when the MD boxes were ordered [I ordered one for my mom and Mike ordered one for me] you had the option to have a personalized note written on a card inside the box. My mom received the personalized note; I received a generic "Happy Mother's Day". Mike was not impressed). Other than taking the specialness away of having a MD box, it worked out having both boxes the same because they were so good. You have no idea how happy I was to have a second crack at that box of Camino chocolates (which, btw, were beautiful and delicious).

There were a few repeat brands: Camino obviously, but THEY'RE SO GOOD they can be in ANY BOX ANY TIME; OneCoffee k-cups (which I have a sneaking suspicion they're trying to clear out); Mighty Leaf Tea (different flavours this time); Ener-C, which I love for work anyways; Sow-Good, different product though.

One weird item I received both times - Brad King's Ultimate Calorie Burn. Now, I'm wary of all weight loss pills, since, well, c'mon. There's no magic pill. I also find it kind of insulting to include this in a MOTHER"S DAY box! It's like, "I love you Mom...but lose some weight." I dunno, it's supposed to give you energy, so maybe I'll use it when I'm back in class in September?

Otherwise, everything else I received was so good. Standouts (other than the Camino): the Maison Orphée sesame oil (I feel really luxe cooking with it), and the Natura Soy Milk, which tasted awesome, and I've bought a few times since trying it.

To subscribe to Little Life Box, visit www.littlelifebox.com

ELLE Canada Spring 2014 Beauty Box Review

I was super excited when I received the ELLE Canada Spring Beauty Box in the mail. For those of you who don't know, ELLE Canada's Beauty Box is a fairly new sampling program (I think this is only their second season). Sign ups are available about a month before release at www.ellecanada.com/beauty/beauty-box. I didn't get the Fall 2013 Beauty Box, but I was lucky enough to receive the Spring 2014 one! Let's take a look:

I love the box, it's so pretty :)

I received:

• CoverGirl Bombshell Volume by LashBlast Mascara in Black
• Gillette Satin Care With a Touch of Olay Sensitive Shave Gel
• Pantene Repair & Protect Miracle Protecting Shampoo & Conditioner
• Crest 3D Whitestripes
• $4 off coupon for Venus razor system
• $1 off coupon for Satin Care shave gel
• $5 off coupon for Vidal Sassoon Hair Colour
• $3 off coupon for Olay Regenerist Luminous line

I'm excited to try everything, but they are all brands and I know and like. The CoverGirl mascara looks really cool - it uses a 2-step system for extreme volume. The only thing I'm concerned about is that it might be overkill on me as I have naturally long lashes (sorry). I've used the Gillette Satin Care shave gel, and it's one of my favourites. It leaves my legs feeling smooth and soft, and thank God I got it just before shorts season! :P

I'm a big fan of Pantene products, and after the winter we've had I'm glad for the Repair & Protect Miracle Protecting products. The only thing I won't use are the Crest 3D Whitestrips as I have really sensitive teeth. I will say I am thankful for the high-value coupons. The Venus Razor system is my favourite (again, just in time for shorts season), and I also really like Vidal Sassoon hair colour.

I'm really happy I got the chance to try this box, and can't wait for the Fall 2014 Beauty Box. What did you think of the box?

Spring 2014 Sample Source Review

It's that time of year again - spring! And that means it's time for the Spring Sample Source! In case you don't know, Sample Source is a program that sends out a box of free samples twice a year (Fall and Spring). You just register on their website (samplesource.com), fill out a short questionnaire, and they send out an email when the sample boxes go live!

This spring's box had the most samples ever! Let's take a look:

I received:

• Jergens 3 Days to Glow Moisturizer + coupon (www.jergens.ca)
• Jergens BB Body Perfecting Skin Cream + coupon (www.jergens.ca)
• Armor All Ultrashine Wash & Wax (www.armorall.ca)
• Tabasco Chipotle Sauce + coupon (www.tabasco.com)
• Sunlight Dishwasher OxiAction Power Pacs 
• Colgate Total 12 Hour Mouthwash in Peppermint (www.colgate.ca)
• Aquafresh Extreme Clean Toothpaste in Peppermint Blast (www.aquafresh.ca)
• Tropicana Farmstand Juice FPC (www.tropicana.ca)
• Quaker Harvest Warm & Crunchy Granola in Cranberry Almond (www.quakeroats.ca)
• John Frieda Frizz Ease Thermal Protection Serum (www.johnfrieda.ca)
• John Frieda Frizz Ease Dreame Curls Shampoo/Conditioner/Calming Cream (www.johnfrieda.ca)
• Hershey's Whole Almonds Chocolate Bar (www.hersheycanada.com)
• Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream (www.burtsbees.ca)
• Quaker Harvest Crunch Quinoa Granola Bar in Chocolate Nut Medley (www.quakeroats.ca)
• Twistos Baked Snack Bites in Asiago (www.twistos.ca)
• Snuggle Scent Boosters in Blue Iris Bliss (www.snuggle.ca)

Whew! I'm tired just from typing that! Overall, a lot of brands I know and love. I've previously tried and really liked the Aquafresh toothpaste, Hershey's chocolate bar (Mike quickly stole that!), Burt's Bees night cream, Quaker Harvest Crunch bar, and Twistos. The new item I am most excited to try is the Tropicana Farmstand. Tropicana makes some of the freshest tasting juice that you can buy in a grocery store, so I'm def excited to check out their new line. My favourite new thing that I tried from this box is the Frizz Ease Thermal Protection Serum. My hair is SO soft after using it, like ridiculously soft. I will definitely be going out to buy this. Other good things - the Snuggle Scent Boosters smell really nice, and left our laundry smelling lovely. The Quaker Harvest Warm & Crunchy Granola was yummy, but sadly did not come with enough :( The Jergens 3 Days to Glow moisturizer is a self-tanner. It's actually quite dark (considering I have naturally pale skin), and after using only 2 of the 3 days I have lots of people asking if I've been on vacation. Pro tip - it says not to put any on your hands, but you're going to want to put some on your hands anyways, lest you want to look like Mickey Mouse.

This was an awesome Sample Source! I can't wait for the Fall 2014 box! Did you get a Sample Source box? What was your favourite item?

Honest Company March 2014 Bundle Review

First off, I'd like to apologize for the lack of posts lately. I'm right in the middle of exams so there's won't be much activity for the next week or so. Now to the review!

The Honest Company is an eco-friendly subscription service that specializing and baby and household products that was founded by Jessica Alba. They offer 3 bundles - Diapers & Wipes, Essentials, and Health & Wellness. The bundles start at $35.95/mth, depending on the bundle.  My first experience with the Honest Company was last November when I ordered two of their free trial bundles from their website www.honest.com. I received the Diapers & Wipes trial for my sister-in-law who was visiting with my baby niece and the Essentials trial for home. I really enjoyed the products I received, but with Christmas shortly after, money was tight and I kept pushing the shipment back (a really great option the Honest Company offers). I finally had March's Essentials bundle shipped out (and I am now finally writing about it!).

How the Essentials bundle works is that you can choose 5 household items for $35.95 + shipping, and add up to 3 additional items for a discount. The other bundles work a little differently - The Diapers & Wipes bundle is a month's-supply of diapers and wipes for $79.95. The Health & Wellness bundle is 2 vitamin products of your choice for $39.95 + shipping, plus your choice of up to 3 additional items for a discount.

I received in my Essentials bundle:

• Stain remover
• Dish soap in White Grapefruit
• Laundry detergent
• Dryer clothes
• Kids toothpaste

I was impressed by the quality of the products. All of them worked very effectively. The kids loved the toothpaste, and normally they don't care for any natural type toothpastes. Everything smelled so nice, especially the stain remover which is French Lavender scented, so relaxing.

What I really liked about the products is on the ingredients list on each bottle, each ingredient is explained beside the scientific term (e.g. Caprylyl/Myristyl Glucoside [Sugar-Based Cleanser]). It's nice knowing what is in each bottle and makes me feel more confident about the products.

Finally, a great feature of the Honest Company is their referral program. For every friend you refer that makes a purchase, you receive a $20 credit! That's half a month's shipment paid for! So to get started, here is my referral link and use coupon code INVITED10 to save $10 on your first order.

Good Things in the Mail - April 3, 2014

Here are some of the freebies that appeared in my mail box this week:

From left:

• Pampers Kandoo Super Power kit (cape, Boogie Wipes, tattoos, stickers, coupon) - won on the Kandoo site (www.kandookids.com/take-the-oath)
• Garnier Clean+ Balancing Gel Exfoliator sample and coupon - from Garnier's website (www.garnier.ca) - finished
• Package of Mrs. Dash Taco Seasoning Mix and coupon - from Mrs. Dash Canada's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/mrsdashcanada) - finished

Hudson is going to be SO happy when he gets home and sees the cape! And I'm sure both the kids are going to stick the tattoos all over themselves :/. I was VERY excited to see the Garnier sample. As anyone who reads this blog knows, I love Garnier and am always excited to try their new products. As for the Mrs. Dash - it's funny, because a couple of days ago I was thinking, "I should really make stuffed peppers soon." BAM! Taco seasoning mix in the mail! Now I just need ground beef, peppers and cheese and I'm good to go (I don't really want to find those in the mailbox). 

UPDATE:

Ready to be Super! :)

Healthy Surprise March 2014 Review

ethicalDeal is currently offering a deal on Healthy Surprise subscriptions, $5 towards a $30 credit. Healthy Surprise is a subscription box service similar to Snackbox. The company sends out one of three types of boxes each month, starting at $40/mth for the Starter Box. Each box contains a variety of healthy, natural snacks. I used my credit towards the Starter Box, so it only cost me $15 + shipping ($10 in Canada).

Let's see what's inside:

There's a $25 gift card for Healthy Surprise on top! Awesome!

Lots of goodies, let's see what we have:

• VegThisWay Rawr Bar in Super Sweet Potato (www.vegthisway.com)
• Oskri Peach Bar (www.oskri.com)
• Happytimes Veggie Pals Carrot Orange Apple Chews (www.happyfamilybrands.com)
• Freeze Dried Crunchies in Mixed Fruit (www.crunchiesfood.com)
• Buddy Fruits Pure Fruit Bites in Orange (www.buddyfruits.com)
• New York Date Bar in Fruits & Nuts (www.newyorkdatebar.com)
• Materne GoGo Squeez in Appleberry (www.gogosqueez.com)
• Just Strawberries 'n Bananas Freeze-dried Fruit (www.justtomatoes.com)
• Oskri Dried Cranberries (www.oskri.com)
• Lydia's Organics Rawkin' Spicy Beet Chips (www.lydiasorganics.com)
• Alive & Radiant Foods Kale Crunch in Quite Cheesy (www.kaiafoods.com)

There are a lot of great products in this box, and I'm glad there are so many kid friendly products. I have 2 small complaints - one, the box is 90% fruit. I kind of wish there where more savoury snacks. Two, I wish there was a product list with information about each product. Snackbox encloses a leaflet in their boxes, Little Life Box posts their's online. I personally like seeing a blurb about each item. Still, receiving the $25 gift card was awesome, and they also included some recipes!

To get the $5 for $30 credit deal, go here.

For more info on Healthy Surprise, visit www.healthysurprise.com (referral link).

Good Things in the Mail - March 25, 2014

A few nice samples and a good coupon came in the mail today!

From left to right:

- Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation samples (from their Facebook giveaway - over)

- Biotherm AquaSource sample (from their Facebook giveaway - over)

- Chapman's coupon (from their website - no longer available)

I'm excited to try the samples and I will share my reviews shortly - maybe with a pint of ice cream!